California Governor Gavin Newsom declared that the state has 53 cases of the novel coronavirus.
— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) March 5, 2020
The state of emergency declaration will allow the state to obtain more money from the federal government to contain the outbreak, according to a state health official.
Earlier Wednesday, Los Angeles County officials declared a state of emergency over the virus, just a day after Kaiser Permanente officials confirmed that they were treating a newly diagnosed COVID-19 patient in Los Angeles.
So far, one person in California has died due to the coronavirus. Ten others have died in Washington state, bringing the total number of deaths in the US to 11. In Washington state, the total number of coronavirus cases increased Wednesday to at least 39. Washington Governor Jay Inslee also declared a state of emergency Wednesday, while Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan issued a proclamation of civil emergency.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the loved ones of this patient,” Dr. Aimee Sisson, the health officer in California's Placer County, said in a Wednesday statement. “While we have expected more cases, this death is an unfortunate milestone in our efforts to fight this disease, and one that we never wanted to see.”
According to Johns Hopkins university data, there are currently 153 cases of the virus in the US.
The US House of Representatives on Wednesday passed an $8.3 billion emergency funding bill to help contain the US outbreak.
